The Open Link

03/18/2026

Our FY2024-2025 Annual Report is live! Scroll through to read:

📝A Letter from Our Executive Director and Board President
💲Our Financials
☀️🥪Our Summer Kids Meals Program Highlight
📈Our Impact
🧑🏢Our Board and Sponsors
and more!

You can also access the report on our website at https://theopenlink.org/who-we-are/financials.html.

Thank you for supporting The Open Link!

03/17/2026

🍀Happy St. Patrick's Day to our you all! We are so "lucky" to have Valley community members and supporters like you!🍀

03/17/2026

CODE BLUE WEATHER EMERGENCY DECLARED

Montgomery County has declared a Code Blue Cold Weather Emergency through Thursday, March 19, at 8:00 AM.

In partnership with Upper Perk Homelessness Coalition, our Code Blue shelter, located at 777 Main Street, Pennsburg, will be open to adult men beginning tonight, Tuesday, March 17, at 8:00 PM.

If you are signed up to volunteer for Code Blue, we need you! Please let us know if you are available to serve during any of these evenings.

03/13/2026

🍎🍊🥔FOODIE FRIDAY - FRESH PRODUCE DONATIONS URGENTLY NEEDED!🥔🍊🍎

Our Pantry needs donations of fresh produce- can you help us stock our shelves?

March is National Nutrition Month, and this year's theme is "Discover the Power of Nutrition." Nutrition has the power to help communities like the Valley thrive. By offering healthy food options like fresh produce in our Pantry, our clients have the opportunity to make better-informed food choices. These choices can help power their day, foster additional healthy habits, and build their futures!

We would love donations of:
🥔Bags of Potatoes
🍊Bags of Oranges / Clementines
🍇Grapes
🍎Bagged Apples

You can even shop directly on our Amazon, Target, and Walmart wishlists and have your donations directly shipped to our Pantry.

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1ZMRV5ESSRFR1?ref_=wl_share
TARGET: https://www.target.com/gift-registry/gift-giver?registryId=c7005950-9788-11ef-a410-6b7e1d416834&type=CHARITY
WALMART: https://www.walmart.com/registry/RR/33c7bb8c-18a8-4c29-8d13-6d55686a8da3

Thank you for supporting our Pantry clients!

03/12/2026

👩IT'S NATIONAL WORKING MOM'S DAY - WE'RE HERE TO HELP! 👩

Today, we celebrate all of the moms who work to support their children. From corporate bosses to stay-at-home moms, we are here to recognize and support moms and the numerous other "jobs" they take on with their kids: teacher, chef, nurse, referee, and more!

We are here to support the moms balancing it all. We offer our programs and services for FREE:

👩‍💼Employment Counseling
🥫Food Pantry
☀️🍱Summer Kids Meals Program
👩‍🎓HSE Diploma Program
💻Benefits Application Assistance
💲Financial Assistance

To all of the moms who manage, organize, and support their families each day: we are here for you, and it's okay to ask for help. ❤️

Visit theopenlink.org or call 215-679-4112 to learn more.

03/11/2026

CODE BLUE WEATHER EMERGENCY DECLARED

Montgomery County has declared a Code Blue Cold Weather Emergency starting tomorrow, Thursday, March 12, at 8:00 PM and ending Friday, March 13, at 8:00 AM.

In partnership with Upper Perk Homelessness Coalition, our Code Blue shelter, located at 777 Main Street, Pennsburg, will be open to adult men starting tomorrow evening, Thursday, March 12, at 8:00 PM.

If you are signed up to volunteer for Code Blue, we need you! Please let us know if you are available to serve during any of these evenings.

03/10/2026

🍴🥪PACK YOUR LUNCH AND SUPPORT THE OPEN LINK!🥪🍴

It's National Pack Your Lunch Day, which encourages everyone to pack their lunch for work, school, or wherever you're spending the day vs. ordering food from a restaurant.

There are many benefits to packing your lunch, not just today, but anytime:
🍱Better portion control
🥬🥩🧂Personalized ingredients
💲Immediate savings vs. ordering off the take-out menu or eating out!

By donating those savings to organizations like The Open Link, you can help feed and support our neighbors in need!

Consider hosting a Brown Bag It event at your workplace, school, or community organization or club. Like today, you and your coworkers, classmates, and/or other community members can each pack your lunch and donate the funds saved by not ordering out to The Open Link!

Interested in learning more? Contact [email protected] or 215-679-4112.

03/08/2026

♀️HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY - MEET THE WOMEN OF THE OPEN LINK! ♀️

This International Women's Day, meet the women of The Open Link!

Out of our 17 employees across both our Penn Street and Center locations, 13 are women, including our Executive Director, Marianne Lynch. That's just over 75% of our staff!

Speaking of 75%, did you know that according to a 2024 study published by the American Association of University Women, 75% of employees in the nonprofit sector are women, but only 22% of nonprofits are run by a female Executive Director or CEO?

We're proud not only to be a female-dominant and women-led nonprofit, but to have incredibly intelligent, resilient, and driven women within our organization a difference in The Valley.

Here's to the women of The Open Link!

03/06/2026

🧊FOODIE FRIDAY - FROZEN FOOD DONATIONS NEEDED!🧊

March is National Frozen Food Month, so this Foodie Friday, we are asking for donations of frozen foods!

Frozen foods, like fruits and vegetables, are packed at peak
ripeness to lock in nutrients, making them healthy options for our Pantry clients.

Frozen meals and ingredients can also save over an hour of prep time per week AND reduce waste because they can be stored for long periods.

Our Pantry would love donations of:
🥩Frozen meat
🐟Frozen seafood
🌱Frozen plant-based protein
🥦Frozen vegetables
🍓Frozen fruit

You can bring donations to our
Pantry entrance at our Penn Street location, 452 Penn Street, Pennsburg, Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:00 PM and Tuesday 8:00 AM-7:00 PM.

NOTE: While frozen items are not on our digital Wishlists, if you would like to donate other items to our Pantry, you can shop directly on our Amazon, Target, and Walmart wishlists and have your donations directly shipped to our Pantry!

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1ZMRV5ESSRFR1?ref_=wl_share
TARGET: https://www.target.com/gift-registry/gift-giver?registryId=c7005950-9788-11ef-a410-6b7e1d416834&type=CHARITY
WALMART: https://www.walmart.com/registry/RR/33c7bb8c-18a8-4c29-8d13-6d55686a8da3

Thank you for supporting our Pantry clients!

03/05/2026

🍴IT'S NATIONAL SCHOOL BREAKFAST WEEK - HELP US FEED HUNGRY KIDS THIS SUMMER! 🍴

We're celebrating National School Breakfast Week! For hungry kids, the School Breakfast Program provides free or reduced-price, nutritionally balanced breakfasts to, in some cases, all students regardless of income. This helps students start their day ready to learn, grow, and succeed.

When the School Breakfast Program pauses during summer break, we ensure that all kids in the Upper Perkiomen School District are fed and can continue to learn, grow, and succeed through our Summer Kids Meal Program (SKMP).

SKMP provides each child up to 8 FREE meals per week during summer break. No registration is required! All meals are grab-and-go style and we deliver at 5 Valley stops each week.

Check back on our social media and on our website, theopenlink.org, in the coming weeks to learn more about SKMP 2026!

03/04/2026

🏢🤝IYCMI: OUR 2026 JOB FAIR🤝🏢

Last Thursday, alongside Upper Perkiomen Valley Chamber of Commerce and Upper Perk YMCA, we hosted the Upper Perkiomen Valley Job Fair!

Valley professionals were invited to visit and network with Valley businesses, including TOL Sponsors Gillespie Electric, Inc., Stauffer Glove and Safety , QNB Bank, Family Caregivers Network. and more.

Attendees learned about available job opportunities, received resume writing and editing from our Employment Counselor, Heather O'Donnell, smiled for free headshots taken by Rae Hearts Design & Photography, and took steps to unlock their professional futures.

Thank you to all who attended and made the afternoon one of connection and community!

Couldn't attend the Job Fair and/or are interested in our FREE employment services? We can help you with your resume, interview skills, job applications, and more! Learn more at https://theopenlink.org/get-help/employment-counseling.html.

03/03/2026

Our March e-newsletter discusses importance of trauma-informed care, shares more about our 2026 Planting Hope Garden Party, and more. Read more at: https://conta.cc/47lWLLE

Want to receive our monthly e-newsletter in your inbox? Sign up at https://theopenlink.org/news-events/get-connected.html

Trauma-informed care has become one of the most important approaches in my work at The Open Link. Many of our Valley neighbors we serve have lived through experiences that shape how they interact with systems, services, and even with us as staff. Understanding the weight of these experiences allows...